


A Rose Like Diamonds

by CapMorgan55



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Science Fiction, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27804565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapMorgan55/pseuds/CapMorgan55
Summary: Rose Quartz had lived a long, long life. Hard not to when your a Gem! In all that time, all that she had done, all the lies she had told, all the mistakes she made, she came to one simple conclusion; she was evil. After all, how else could you explain the trail of tears and destruction she left wherever she went, and for what, to be free? She wasn't free. But Greg made her feel like she could've been. Ah well, might as well spill all her stress to this strangely dressed human woman. It's not like she has anything left to lose, right?
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran & Greg Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Pink Diamond's Pearl/Spinel (Steven Universe), Priyanka Maheswaran & Rose Quartz, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 11





	A Rose Like Diamonds

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy. This is gonna be a doozy. Basic premise, An off-hand comment from Greg dredges up all the hate, self-loathing, and assorted emotional baggage Rose has been carrying over the centuries, and on a random whim decides to unload all her grief and stress on a visiting Priyanka, who has no idea how to deal with this, but feels obligated to try as a medical professional. What results is without a doubt the most unlikely friendship either of them have ever imagined. I own nothing in regards to Steven Universe, it is the property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.

Rose Quartz, or rather, Pink Diamond, had experienced far more, and yet so little, in her long, long life. Grief, anger, joy, all were old hats to her, something she could pull up from experience and treat as normal. Not much could rattle her anymore, though she'd had a few close calls over the years that had tested that claim. But despair, true heart-wrenching despair, was something she had only felt a few times. Now was one of them.

_"You saved us. Good or bad, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here, right?"_

"Darn it Greg." As her tears trailed down her face, Rose (she never thought of herself as Pink) knew she was being unfair. He was just saying what was on his mind, like he always did. The fact that he so clearly meant it, even if he meant nothing by it, made it her that much more. "If you only knew. If I had never come, you all would have been fine anyway." And that was something Rose held as absolute truth. SHE started the war. SHE lied to the Crystal Gems. SHE faked her shattering! SHE CAUSED THE CORRUPTION. Every little thing that went wrong, all the heartache, the pain, it all led back to Rose, and her choices and decisions. As she knelt in the sand, for the first time in centuries, Rose Quartz shifted back into her original form, into PINK DIAMOND, and wept her heart out.

"Miss?" Was someone talking? It didn't matter. Nothing did right now.

"Miss, are you alright? You seem to be in distress." Ugh, couldn't this person see she wanted to be alone!?

"MISS!" And that was the last straw. For the first time in countless years, Rose felt an oh so familiar rage fill her. Her tears dried up, her hands started to shake, and her body started to glow a vibrant Pink. She whirled around, ready to blast apart whoever was stupid enough to interrupt her grief, when she stopped, took in the sight before her, and let all the tension drain out in a sigh. For some reason, the human woman standing next to her did not look relieved in the slightest.

* * *

Priyanka Maheswaran was out of her depth at the moment. It was a bitter truth to admit, but it was a truth all the same. After all, nothing she had learned in Medical School had prepared her for comforting a giant, literally giant!, pink skinned woman dressed in what looked like a combination of royal dress and a jester's uniform sobbing her eyes out on the beach. _'Doug, I really hope your having a more normal day than I am right now!'_ Still, she was required by her oath to provide help when needed, and, as unusual as this situation was, this woman clearly needed help. Though, she had to admit, the glowing skin was intimidating.

"Uh... while I am not technically qualified for this situation (not that anyone would be), I am a medical professional. As such, I am required to ask of you, are you alright?" There, that sounded suitably official, and here's hoping this could be resolved quickly. She had some basic training in regards to counselling and psychology, and it was clear that, whatever was wrong with the figure before her, the basics would be nowhere near enough. As the woman took a moment to think, Priyanka braced herself. Whatever she was about to be told, was in no way meant for the faint of heart. As she listened, and felt her own heart sink, she knew she was right.

* * *

"And that's my story." As she finally finished pouring out her grief, pain, and horrible misdeeds, Rose stopped and thought. _'Why am I telling her all this? It's not as if she'd even believe me. And even if she did, she would just tell me what I already knew.'_

The huge, comparatively speaking, hug she received was most certainly a shock. Why? Why isn't she condemning Rose, decrying her for the monster she is?

* * *

"Why?" As Priyanka heard the softly spoken question, only one thought could enter her mind. _'If I ever meet those Diamonds, one way or another, I am going to smack them across the face!'_ Priyanka was a cynic. That came as no surprise to anyone who knew her. Her parents, old school traditionalists who felt a woman shouldn't be working as anything other than a housewife, had made her childhood hell. The countless chauvinists and racists she encountered in the medical field, and all the innocents she saw taken too soon in the hospital that could have been saved if the world had been even a hair kinder than it was. But this woman, this apparently alien woman at that, whose behavior boor all the hallmarks of longtime emotional abuse to the point she genuinely believed that she was responsible for every tragedy that had ever occurred in her life, saw something in humanity that Priyanka herself hadn't seen in a long time. Beauty.

Priyanka knew what she had to do. Here's hoping she didn't mess it up. "I may not understand everything you've gone through, but I've heard all you've had to say. This is what I got out of it; you are sad, broken, scared little girl who was hurt, hurt in ways that humans who do the same thing are imprisoned for life for, by the people who were supposed to protect, guide, and raise you. You've made mistakes, but that's okay. Everyone does, and you've learned and grown from the most important of them. You may not be perfect, but so what? No one is, and anyone who claims otherwise is either a fool or a liar. You're tired, lonely, and so afraid to reach out, truly reach out to someone that even now, when you've fallen in love, you can't bring yourself to take the final step. Rose, Pink, whatever you choose to call yourself, you have to understand you are not a monster. And on behalf of everyone who has ever looked at you and wasn't able to see how much pain you were in, I am so sorry!" She was crying. Priyanka hadn't truly cried since her wedding day, and she hadn't cried in sadness since the first time a child had died under her care at the hospital. As she felt arms wrap around her, Priyanka looked up.

Rose, the strange alien woman who spilled her heart out to a total stranger, expecting scorn and loathing, and receiving kindness, was holding her, letting her cry herself dry in her arms. It was funny, when they had met, she had honestly pictured having to do this herself. Ah well, at least this is comfortable. At least until the two of them heard the sound of a throat being cleared. Slowly turning, Priyanka and Rose took in the sight of four figures, all watching with tear stained eyes. One was clearly Greg, if Rose's waxing description of him was anything to go by; Priyanka had to admit, while not the handsomest man, that honor would forever go to Doug in her mind, he was charming, in a well-meaning boyish rogue sort-of way. The next was a woman, slender, pale, and so thin that if she had been human she wouldn't have been able to walk on her for extended periods, most likely the "Pearl" Rose had spoken off, naming her a close confident. The second woman, the tallest among the newcomers, had three eyes, all holding the same tearful hurt, was Garnet. The last, and shortest, was Amethyst, though she seemed to be lacking the vibrant wild passion Rose had described her with. As Priyanka's thoughts entered this analytical view, she was mindful of how tense Rose had become alongside her.

Priyanka clapped her hands. "Well, now that we are all here, we might as well head inside and talk this out." The almost bobble-headed nods she received would have been amusing, if this weren't so serious.

* * *

When Greg had rushed into the temple, out of breath and wild-eyed, Pearl was instantly on alert. While she may not have the highest opinion of the wannabe rocker, she would, grudgingly, admit that he cared for Rose just as much as her. When he asked if she had come here, Pearl and the others were instantly on alert. When he explained what set her off, it took everything she had not to throttle the idiot then and there, and she was very tempted to do it anyway. He had no idea what they had given up, what they had sacrificed, what ROSE had sacrificed, and he had the gall to say what he did!? Putting her anger aside, Pearl and the rest of the Crystal Gems searched high and low for Rose, ultimately finding themselves at the beach, where Pearl witnessed something she thought she would never see again; Rose transforming into Pink Diamond. Struck dumb with shock, the Crystal Gems could only watch and listen as Rose, as PINK, poured her heart and soul out to a complete and utter stranger. Every secret, every fear, every thought she had bottled up inside, all laid out in the open.

As they finally made their presence known, Pearl could only think of one thing; _'Why? Why couldn't you have trusted me, why DIDN'T you trust me? Why?'_ But no matter how much she tried to cling to that hurt, the words the stranger had said kept coming to mind. _"On behalf of everyone who has ever looked at you and wasn't able to see how much pain you were in, I am so sorry!"_

* * *

Garnet was divided. Literally, she was divided in two directions; Sapphire was furious over being lied to, over being deceived by someone she had given so much of her faith and trust into, whereas Ruby, surprising both of them, was more concerned over how this would change everything. The only thing holding them together, the sheer sadness they felt over everything Rose, PINK, had said. The guilt, the grief, the all consuming self-hate she carried around inside her dampened Ruby's panic and Sapphire's fury enough to hold them both together.

As the group finally made their way back to the temple, Garnet decided to speak up. "Alright, we're here. Let's talk."

* * *

Amethyst didn't voice her emotions a lot. She'd rather just ignore them until they worked themselves out, what's the worst that could happen, right? She wasn't gonna do that any more. Not after this. She didn't really get the whole "Rose was Pink Diamond" thing that was sending Garnet for a tizzee and that Pearl ALREADY KNEW ABOUT, but she knew that it hurt. They all trusted Rose, they trusted her a lot, and she was keeping this from them!? Honestly, she couldn't get too mad, at least not yet. Hearing all that, it was heavy man. Who knew Rose had more baggage than all of them put together? "So, I'm just gonna come out and say it. What the heck is up with you Rose!?"

Okay, so maybe she was still a little mad. The wince Rose gave off in that new giant form, and wasn't that a surprise, gave her more satisfaction than it probably should have. The blank look she gave after though, that honestly freaked her out a bit. "I'm a monster."

*Amethyst.exe has disconnected, beginning reboot*

Amethyst had no clue how to process that, and if the horrified look Pearl was sporting was anything to go off of, it was pretty bad. The sharp clap that rang out kept from going down the rabbit hole. She turned to see that human lady from earlier giving a pretty stern look to Rose, or Pink, whoever. "Rose, I told you before you are not a monster. As your attending physician, I forbid you from talking like that." Huh, so she was a doctor lady? Cool. Lame, but cool.

* * *

Greg was so in over his head, he thought he was about to hit the bottom. He didn't know how to deal with this, he was a failed musician for crying out loud! Well, maybe not failed, but no where near as successful as he was hoping he would be. Rose was apparently some kind of alien princess, who had disguised herself to battle her evil relatives, started a war, and had been hiding the truth from everyone for years. Honestly, none of that really mattered to Greg, but all this really made some earlier comments Rose had made start to make sense. The glare she was sending at the doctor, when did she meet a doctor!?, was something he had never seen from her before. "I think I am perfectly justified for what I say. If I hadn't come here, everyone would be better off." No, Rose, don't say that, that isn't true! "IF I DIDN'T EXIST EVERYONE WOULD BE BETTER OFF!" Okay, they needed to stop this before it started getting anymore out of hand.

"If you hadn't come here, I wouldn't exist." Huh? Oh, right, Garnet was a fusion.

"Me neither!" Amethyst was born on Earth.

"I would still be a slave!!" Pearl...

"I would still be a failed rocker stuck with a leech of a manager." Who- oh wait, that was him! Welp, time for the dramatic backstory. "Rose, I may not understand everything that's happening right now, but I do know this; you took a down on his luck rock-star wannabe, and treated him like he was something special. When I grew up, my parents controlled every aspect of my life. Love from them was conditional on me being what they wanted me to be. But you, you loved me for no other reason than the fact that I was me! Yeah, it sounds like you've made mistakes. But you care, about the gems, about me, about the Earth! Not everyone stands up for what they believe in, and yeah, you made some mistakes along the way. That's part of growing up." He was standing in front of her. Jeez, she was even taller now than she before! Steel yourself, Greg. He put his hands over hers and stepped as close as he could. "Nothing you said changes who you are to me. An amazing woman who made my life the miracle it is now." She was crying. Was that good or bad in this situation!?

* * *

Priyanka wouldn't admit it often, but when she was impressed, she was impressed! Mr. Universe may not have been the most competent of individuals, but it was clear as day how much he loved Rose. And going by the longing in Pearl's eyes, he wasn't the only one.

"Why." Oh, it looked like Rose had found her words again. After that previous outburst, she was more than a little worried how this would go. Suicidal thoughts and tendencies didn't disappear easily. "W-why are you all being so kind?" Well, time to step back and watch the emotions process themselves. "I-I've h-h-hurt so m-many gems, so many people! I-I abandoned my best friend! I IMPRISONED BISMUTH!! WHY DON'T You all... hate me." Now it was Garnet's turn to step forward.

"Pink- no, Rose, I am angry. I probably will be for quite some time. But you encouraged me to accept myself, and the love I feel, when no one else would. It might take me a while to forgive you for keeping this a secret, everything you've done a secret, but I promise, I'm here for you." Okay, she was starting to get teary-eyed again.

Amethyst decided to step forward into what was quickly growing into a group hug. "If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't exist. If you hadn't been here, I would have been all alone! You gave me a home, a family. I might not like what's going on, but I ain't gonna bail on you guys now."

"Rose, I always thought you told me everything. The fact that you didn't hurts me in ways I didn't think I would ever have to feel anymore. But... because of you, I am more than I ever would have been otherwise. I am so, so sorry that I couldn't see how much you were hurting! I allowed myself to fall into my personal fantasy and ignored how everything was affecting you as a person. You might have made mistakes, but you can fix them. And you don't have to do it alone." With her piece said, Pearl drew them all, including Priyanka, into a tight group hug. "I guess we have you to thank for this Ms.... My apologies, I just realized I never obtained your name! Rose, what is this human's name?" Priyanka felt a blush develop, and saw a matching one grow across Rose's face.

* * *

"Rose?" Rose was blushing up a storm. How was she going to explain she never got the human's, who was apparently a doctor, name! As she sheepishly turned away, she saw a look of dawning understanding crossing the other gem's faces. "You never got her name before telling her your life story!?" Yes, Pearl, that is exactly what she did. Rub it in why don't you? Amethyst's raucous cackle over that little revelation set off a chain-reaction. Greg was laughing along, tears pouring down his face, Garnet had a slowly spreading grin crawl across her face, even Pearl was fighting a smile, trying to keep a scandalized look before giving in, laughing that beautiful laugh of hers.

"Okay, I admit it! I forgot to get her name while I was busy pouring out my heart and soul. Happy?" The fact the others were still laughing was taken as a good sign. "But seriously, what is your name? You've helped me more with my emotions in one day than anyone has, barring Greg, in a long time. I really would like to know your name."

The grin the doctor had been trying (and failing) to hide bloomed across her face. Funny, before she had seemed stern, but when she smiled, her whole face opened up. "If you really wish to know, my name is Priyanka Maheswaran. I am a doctor and have recently moved here along with my husband, Doug. And, as weird as today has grown to be, I am more than glad I decided to help." Stepping forward, the doctor, Priyanka, took Rose's hands in her own. "I meant every word I said. You may not be perfect, but you are no monster. After all, I doubt a monster could gather together as beautiful a family as this." With that, Priyanka spun her around. Standing there, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Greg, all weary, drained, smarting from everything they had been through today, but their eyes all burned with love.

_'They love me. T-Th-They really love me!'_ As that thought finally sunk in, that they had all seen just how bad she could be, and still accepted her anyway, Rose starting crying again. She couldn't help it. She was free. With a smile on her face, Rose leapt into the air, her whole body shining-

As she hit the floor in her new form, Rose, for the first time in her life, felt complete. At the sight of her new appearance, Garnet stepped forward, a mixture of well-concealed shock and awe in her voice. "What do we call you now?"

Looking down at her hands, Rose knew. "I'm still Rose. But I'm not running away from who I am and all that I've done anymore. I am Rose, Rose Diamond!"

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not develop how I imagine it too. Either way, please leave comments below.


End file.
